Early Life :

Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

Post War includes all operations in all theatres up to 31st August 1921. This excludes the campaign in Russia against the Bolsheviks. It also includes men who succombed to wounds post war and who died from various causes whilst still in the services but post war.

Detail :

Following the torpedo attack on the Lusitania, which he survived, the Widnes Weekly News records in its edition of 14th May 1915:

"I was in my room at the time we were struck, preparing my list in readiness for reaching Liverpool. Then there was a bang, and I feared that the ship was doomed. I rushed to the alley-way and met the chief engineer. Then I rushed below deck to see to the dynamos, and by this time the water tight doors had been closed. When I got down the lights failed, and knowing that nothing could be done with the dynamos I hurried on deck to render what assistance I could. I got a lifebelt and dashed to the wireless cabin to see that the operator was getting his current. For some few minutes I remained with him and left him when he received an answer from Queenstown. The ship was now listing very badly and I returned to my room.

When I came out of it I again met the chief engineer, and he said "Come on Hutch, come down and see what we can do" I replied "Perhaps we will all be below shortly". I shook him by the hand and said "Goodbye, old chap, I think it is everyone for himself, now."

This was in the last few minutes and asking him to follow I slid on my back down the side of the ship and felt many of the rivets. The force with which I went down was such that I went to some considerable depth in the water and when I rose to the surface the huge propellers were up in the air over my head. Some debris fell and knocked me under the water again and when I came to the top a second time, the 'Queen of the Atlantic' had disappeared below the sea. It was a beautiful sunny day and the water was calm and it was owing to these conditions that so many were saved. The water, however, was very cold, but it could have been worse.

The first woman I met in the water was struggling desperately to keep herself afloat and I gave her my lifebelt, but what became of her I could not say, although I don't think she was saved because she was nearly dead then. There was a man shouting for help. His lifebelt was not properly adjusted; in fact he had not got his head through it. I went to his assistance and he shouted "I am Vanderbilt". I was treading the water and it was extremely difficult for me to give him help. I did all I could to save him, but I had no lifebelt myself. He went despite my efforts. I was with him for quite a long while. Swimming about for some time, eventually I was lucky enough to get a plank, one of those I had seen many a time on board."

In a change of direction, he signed up for service and became Private 79314 George Hutchinson, 4th Battalion Cheshire Regiment and apparently "died of wounds."

Probate HUTCHINSON George Edwards of Manor Farm Frodsham Cheshire private Cheshire regiment died 1 June 1919 at Cathay Military Hospital, Cardiff. Administration Chester to Andrew Hutchinson farmer. Effects £272 13s. 10d.

Masonic :

Electrical Engineer, resident in Bootle at the time of initation in 1912. War Service recorded and "Died May 19."

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley